A small group of scientists at Murdoch University have invented a ‘self-desalination’ system that requires no electricity at all and is carbon-neutral.

Current methods of desalination employed across the globe consume extremely large quantities of electricity in order to apply the high amount of pressure required as part of the process.

The ‘self-desalination’ concept was developed by Dr Ralf Cord-Ruwisch and Professor Liang Cheng, and uses pressure generated by highly-concentrated salt brine as the energy source to desalinate the less salty seawater.

“The high cost associated with desalination is primarily due to the high pressure that must be applied to seawater in order to separate the water and salt from one another in the process of reverse osmosis,” Dr Cord-Ruwisch said.

Professor Wendell Ela leads the research team evaluating the practical merits of the concept.

“Normally, we use electricity to pressurise the water and drive reverse osmosis,” he said.

“Ralf and Liang’s device skips the electricity step, so it’s not only simpler, but the environmental impact is immediately smaller.”

Third-year PhD student, Ivonne Tshuma has been working with the team to gather data and mathematically model the process to enhance the design of the original prototype.

She said concentrated salt brine was the ‘secret ingredient’ to the system’s success, which replaces the need for a pump to apply the necessary pressure to the seawater.

“The pressure generated between the concentrated brine and the brackish water, pushes brackish water through the membrane, producing drinking quality water,” she said.

“The result is that the salt is left behind in one chamber, while desalinated water is produced in the other.”

Once her research is complete, Ms Tshuma is hoping to work with a company to fabricate the desalination system in commercial quantities, so it can benefit remote communities throughout the world which have limited access to water and power.

“As the result of my research, I am so confident that it is possible to produce potable water from brackish water and possibly even seawater without the need for electricity,” she said.

“My next steps are to re-build the device on a larger scale so it can be taken out of the lab and then trialled in a remote location to see if it can meet the water requirements of a small household.”

The research team believes the process could have impact in areas where salt lakes are located near brackish water sources or the coast, such as in Regional Australia or as an extreme example, Lake Garabogazkoel in Turkmenistan.

“These areas have access to large amounts of salt brine to provide the fuel needed to complete the process of seawater desalination - with the resulting products being potable water and a somewhat diluted brine, which goes back out into the salt lake for continued concentration,” Dr Cord-Ruwisch said.

“In principle, this could allow for the use of renewable energy from solar evaporation, without the intermittency problems associated with other renewable energy sources,” Dr Cord-Ruwisch said.

The team is currently seeking an industry partner to help them develop a customised membrane for use in their desalination device.

School of Engineering and Information Technology Dean, Professor Bogdan Dlugogorski said Murdoch University offered world-class translational research opportunities in the field of environmental engineering.

“Each year, Murdoch attracts a significant number of domestic and international students from around the world, especially to its PhD programs,” Professor Dlugogorski said.

“Our graduates in Environmental Engineering and Renewable Energy Engineering are highly sought-after by industry and Murdoch ranks as the best Engineering School in Australia in terms of student satisfaction.”